"The work on copper has allowed me a way of expressing my love for natural forms and textures of the earth, and plants of all kinds, which is different from my work as painter of the human figure," he says.

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From the first moment Hawk used acid solutions on flat panels of copper, essentially 'painting' on copper as canvas, he knew he had something. "The textures, the colors, the variations, the patterns and effects that emerged were mesmerizing and beautiful. I knew I had to do this, and explore the possibilities."

Success in art galleries came immediately, and COPPERHAND Studio was born.

Today, Richard produces custom commissioned pieces for collectors all over the world in his unique copper patina art form, and provides open editions and limited editions on pure copper that are available for order directly from this web site.

"The variability of the patina process is both the joy and challenge," he remarks. "When someone orders a custom creation and wants it to look like a previously sold piece, they have to realize that it's almost impossible to make two pieces look the same. Natural variations will occur, as each is an original and Mother Nature has a big hand in it." (See more about the process of COPPERHAND copper patina art creation.)

The edition pieces available for order from the web site, on the other hand, allow you to see what you are getting in advance. The edition pieces are also right for those who want the art work more quickly or where budget may preclude ordering a custom original piece.

Born in New York City, Richard grew up across the Hudson River in Tenafly, New Jersey, and spent time in the woods along the cliffs of the Palisades as much as he could. "Why do we feel at home in nature and feel at peace? I suppose it's something ancestral, something that goes back a long way and runs very deep." The works of COPPERHAND Studio, rooted in nature, afford a way of bringing a bit of the outdoors into our indoor spaces.

"It really is a matter of working 'in concert with nature'", says Hawk. "There is a lot of joy in that."